Is there a word or phrase that means both to "re-create" and "improve"? I would like to say "___ our language", meaning to create a new lingua franca from scratch. The word should imply starting over as well as improving over the current state.
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I don't see how starting from scratch relates to improvement - it has more to do with replacement. Can you explain?– chasly - supports MonicaAug 3, 2015 at 20:05
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2 Answers
Reinvent might be the word you're looking for.
From Merriam-Webster:
to make as if for the first time something already invented
to make major changes or improvements to (something)
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You beat my identical answer (same definition and everything) by about 3 minutes. Well done. Note that reinvent used to be a negative term for duplication of effort, but has itself been reinvented. Now it means making such fundamental improvements to something that it's basically a new thing. Aug 3, 2015 at 20:14
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This seems the common marketing term (e.g. check the bookshelves under R): if a company boasts of reinventing X, it isn't intended to mean pointless effort to redo something that's already been done adequately.– Stuart FMar 25 at 20:21
Reconstruct or Modify or Modernize
reconstruct:
build or form (something) again after it has been damaged or destroyed
modify:
make partial or minor changes to (something), typically so as to improve it or to make it less extreme.
modernize:
adapt (something) to modern needs or habits, typically by installing modern equipment or adopting modern ideas or methods.
(Definitions from Oxford Languages)
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